


The Broadway Brewery

by Tht1Claysian



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Angst, Broadway, CoffeeShop!Newsies, College AU, Davey is a manager (unsurprisingly), Entitled Parents, Feat. Real People, Gen, Incomplete, Jack attempts to kill a child, Karen strikes again!, Katherine Plumber Pulitzer is a Good Friend, Katherine stops Jack from attempting to kill a child, Let Crutchie Say Fuck, Light Angst, Lyceum Theatre, Modern AU, New York City, No sex obviously this is a coffee shop, Original Characters - Freeform, Ships are not main focus (oh wow that's rare), Whiny Children, coffee shop AU, inconsistent upload schedule, times square
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:54:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23074297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tht1Claysian/pseuds/Tht1Claysian
Summary: What do you get when you have four best friends working in the same coffee shop? Well, a helluva lot of craziness. From struggling to deal with the daily pre-show rush to trying to translate the food items to foreign tourists, anything can happen off Times Square inside a coffee shop across the oldest theater on Broadway.
Relationships: Crutchie Morris & Jack Kelly, David Jacobs & Jack Kelly, David Jacobs & Les Jacobs & Sarah Jacobs, Jack Kelly/Katherine Plumber, Les Jacobs and Jack Kelly, Sarah Jacobs & Jack Kelly
Comments: 5
Kudos: 16





	1. Opening Up

It's a typical day at The Broadway Brewery, a new local coffee shop across the Lyceum Theater on 45th Street. Or so they thought. Davey, the general manager of the cafe, didn't know this specific detail until after he left his apartment for the cafe.

As he was setting up the store, as in checking the inventory, making sure the machines worked, and just overall making the store look nice, he checked the calendar. The calendar was where anyone and everyone could look at any events that were going on in either the shop, in NYC, or any important dates that he and the staff thought were important. One date, in particular, stuck out to him.

On the calendar for today, it said: "The Hunt Starts", an event Davey completely forgot despite putting it on the main calendar in his apartment, his phone, and on the public calendar, the calendar he saw every day for 8 hours. How could he forget that?

_**BZZZ! BZZZ!** _

Davey's phone rang from his back pocket. It was a text from Jack, his best friend from college.

 **Jack:** I'm heading over to the brewery right now

 **Davey:** This isn't a good time right now.

 **Jack:** wym?

Davey didn't know how to respond. The annual food hunt was an event celebrated by many New York publications such as The Times and Eater NY. Publications like them send out their food critics to review different restaurants, bars, and cafes. Being a part of this hunt is a big responsibility since that was the difference between getting business or drowning in debt because you couldn't pay the rent.

 **Davey:** Today's the food hunt. And we don't know which company is coming over to review us.

 **Jack:** Well if today's the hunt, then you need people to come in with them reviewers thinking that business is booming

 **Davey:** Jack, we're a local coffee shop across the street from the Lyceum Theater just off Times Square. We're definitely getting people here.

As Davey was texting Jack, Katherine came in. There was no staff entrance, so Davey's employees, i. e. his friends, had to use the main entrance. Though the three were allowed to wear their uniforms in public, they don't like being pitied or frowned upon by the streets of NYC for working while being a student.

"Hey, hey, hey, Davey! How's it going?" Kath asked. She was cheery as usual, but that was going to change quickly.

"Look at the calendar," Davey said, pointing to the calendar.

Katherine looked at the calendar. Her usual smile was replaced with gritted teeth, eyes widened, and brows raised. She also did not know that today was the food hunt.

"Oh shit. Need me to call people to let them think that we're busy?" Kath asked.

"No thanks. We already have people that come before shows and we're just off Times Square. We also have a special theme. Look around."

Davey did have a point. Being called "The Broadway Brewery", it made sense that the shop theme was about musicals and coffee. Each of the booths had different posters on the wall with playbills surrounding it. They were one of the few places that got playbills from the company that was not a theater. On the frames surrounding the chalkboards for the menu, marquee lights were surrounding it. Although the small space felt a bit flashy, it still had some intimacy and quietness, like a normal coffee shop.

"Where's Crutchie?" Davey asked. "I thought you two came to the cafe together."

"He's coming late because he overslept," Kath said.

"What the hell? Anyway, let's set up. I already looked at the machines, blenders, and inventory. You have the good handwriting so write today's menu."

"On it." Kath went behind the counter and grabbed the step stool. "What's on the board today?"

"It's the food hunt edition. Some of our most popular items from the shop and online. A quarter of our orders are online, so set up the 'online pick-up station' while you're at it," Davey ordered.

"You got it," Kath muttered. She was concentrated on writing on the chalkboards. It added to the "local coffee shop" vibes they wanted to give.

Davey was finishing up sweeping the floors and turned on the POS systems. The Broadway Brewery runs on Square, mostly because of how cheap and simple it was to set it up. Each member uses a tablet Davey bought them for tableside orders and there are separate stations for to-go orders. Crutchie chooses to stay behind the counter because it lets him practice for the annual Coffee Masters NYC Competition at the New York Coffee Festival whereas Davey and Kath opt to be on the floors, interacting with the guests.

On any normal day, it's just the three of them and Jack, though he's too busy drawing by the windows. But if it got pretty busy, such as before or after a show across the street, Jack would don an apron and help make some of the food items they served, like pastries and sandwiches. The energy and workflow of the four made it a nice place to work, as long as you don't interrupt it.

As Davey and Kath were fixing up the store for business, Crutchie came in through the door.

"Sorry, I'm late guys," he said. "Just overslept."

"Yeah, I heard," Davey replied, not paying attention to him. "Can you get the machines ready? We open in an hour."

"Sure thing, boss." Crutchie walked over to the counter and fiddled with the lock. Despite his inhuman flexibility, Crutchie's short stature made it hard for him to bend over. Just because he can make an arch with his legs doesn't mean that he can bend to where his head goes past his legs all "Cirque du Soleil".

Davey approached Crutchie and unlocked it for him.

"Thanks. But when are you gonna change this dang lock?" Crutchie asked.

"Uh, soon," Davey stammered. He checked the POS systems to make sure they were working and the cash registers if the keys were nearby.

Crutchie inspected the machines. He made sure all the espresso machines were assembled properly, the blenders inserted right, and if the mini-fridge containing all the ingredients for drinks were not expired yet. Thankfully, they weren't expired, though some products might be out of stock.

"Kath, you ready?" Davey called.

"You know it!" she called back. 

"Copy! Crutchie, you?"

"Everything's in ship shape!"

Davey turned the "Closed" sign to their "Open" side. The Broadway Brewery was open for business.


	2. The First Critic

Davey whipped out his phone and played a custom Spotify playlist he made for the shop. Just as he put away his phone, the doorbell rang. All three looked at the door. Their first customer of the day.

"Welcome to The Broadway Brewery!" Davey greeted. He did a quick down-and-up with his eyes, hoping he would recognize the person. It was Bryan Denton, the local guides for the New York Sun, a newspaper company rising in popularity.

"Hello there," Denton said. "This is a nice place you got here. The theming of this place is on point with the location, even though it keeps the quaint and quiet environment of a coffee shop."

"Why, uh, thank you. Let me take you to a seat."

Davey led Bryan to a booth. Behind Bryan's seat, Davey grabbed a menu and handed it to him. "Wave to one of our staff members and we will help you," Davey explained.

"I sure will," Denton said with a smile.

Davey went behind the counter. He pulled out his phone, texting Jack.

 **Davey:** Where are you? We got our first critic!

 **Jack:** _seen 09:20_

"Fuck you, Kelly," Davey muttered. "You're never here when I need you."

The doorbell rang. Another person came in. It was Jack, leaning on the door frame with his usual boyish charm; reflective brown eyes, a bright smile, a casual-professional getup.

"I heard you were looking for someone?" Jack called out.

Denton looked away from his menu and laptop. He saw Jack making conversation with Kath and Crutchie, both of whom were not busy and just checking to see customers. Denton went back to his laptop and typed in his notes.

\+ Staff friendly with customers, the boy looks to be a regular. ~ Staff is too comfortable with their regulars. Possibly they are friends?

He went back to his menu and called for one of the three. "Excuse me?" he called out.

Davey, Crutchie, Katherine, and Jack all looked over to Denton. All of them exchanged looks, signaling different instructions. Davey gestured to Jack, saying that he should go into the back room and change. He then gestured to Kath, saying that she should go to Denton. Finally, Davey whispered to Crutchie telling him to set up the machines.

Kath approached Denton, who was on his laptop. "Do you need more time?" she asked.

"No, I'm ready to order," Denton replied. He handed Katherine the menu.

Katherine unlocked her iPad and opened it to the Square for Restaurants app. She preferred if the app was available on her phone since it was more portable, but she had to make do.

"What would you like?" She asked.

"A Cappuccino and tiramisu, please," Denton said.

"Sure thing" After a few taps on her iPad, a printer by Crutchie's station whirred out a ticket for Denton.

"We'll have your order soon. Enjoy the atmosphere. We take pride in the decor of this place," Katherine assured Denton, gesturing around the cafe and the wall of the booth.

"I sure will," Denton said with a chuckle. "This is a nice place. Also greatly located across the Lyceum. Must be getting lots of people before a show?"

"Why thank you. You can thank our manager, Davey, for the location. His parents were somewhat supportive of this decision. They even helped out with the decoration. And yes, we get loads of customers so we have to rely on our part-timers during rush hours," Kath mentioned.

"I see. Gotta love the folks for the support, am I right?"

"Yeah, you're right," Kath said with a nervous chuckle.

"But I have one question for you."

"Sure. I might answer it, but I'd probably have to get Davey to answer if it's about the back of the house."

"I see." Denton paused. He thought about how he should phrase his question. It would be best to call in the general manager, but it would make it seem as though he's not enjoying the cafe.

"Let me speak to the manager. I feel this question might be for him," Denton asked.

"No problem."

Kath left Denton and went behind the counter for Davey. Denton noticed this. The casual environment between everyone was nice to see, but it somewhat worried him. This casual environment could lead to people believing they aren't taking the job seriously. He went to his laptop and typed up more notes.

\+ Casual environment, staff very friendly and conversational.- The casual environment could lead to people thinking they won't take the job seriously.

"Davey, Denton wants you," Katherine said.

"Yeah, sure," he replied. "Could you go refresh Jack on Square? He hasn't been here in like a month."

"Of course." Katherine patted Davey on the back. She went to the back room.

Davey made his way to Denton out of the counter. "Is there anything you need?" he asked.

"Yes, actually," Denton answered. "So about that boy who just went into the backroom. Is he one of your part-timers?"

"He is. We have a lot of part-timers since most of them are students like us," Davey answered.

"Interesting," Denton noticed. "What's his name?"

"Legally, his name's Francis Sullivan, but we call him Jack Kelly. He's studying architecture at CUNY."

"I see he's a city boy. Has he ever left New York?"

"No, not really. He's using this job to save up to be an architect in Santa Fe. It's been a dream of his for as long as I remember."

Denton paused. He observed Jack's actions and chemistry with Katherine. The two are laughing with each other and enjoying each other's company. As Kath is refreshing Jack on the course, you could see the glimmer in his eyes as he admires Katherine. They were boyfriend/girlfriend after all.

"You can tell he's enjoying this city," Denton said. "So why leave all of a sudden?"

"He grew up on the streets and my folks would sometimes help him out. He's supposed to live at the Refuge, the orphanage, but his depictions of the Refuge convinced me that it wasn't safe for him or for anyone really," Davey said solemnly. "After he first heard of Santa Fe, it's been his life dream to live there, or at least visit it sometime soon."

The story was moving, to say the least. Denton teared up a bit, which was quite ironic considering how the music in the background was "Cheek to Cheek" by Tony Yazbek, a song about happiness and euphoria.

"That was one beautiful story. His name is Jack, right?" Denton asked.

"Yeah," Davey replied.

"That's perfect to add to my story!" Denton said excitedly.

His face of excitement turned to a face of surprise. He accidentally slipped the fact that he was one of the critics. Everyone stopped what they were doing. Crutchie was just finishing Denton's coffee, Kath stopped decorating the tiramisu, and Jack and Davey just stood there. Everyone knew that Denton knew that they knew he was a critic.

"I, uh, guess exposed myself, as the youth says," Denton said with a chuckle.

Davey had no choice but to awkwardly laugh. "I guess you did."

Katherine came over with Denton's tiramisu and cappuccino. "Here you go. One cappuccino and one tiramisu."

"Thank you so much."

Katherine and Davey left Denton to have his morning snack. It was 11:00 am, just 4 hours away from the pre-show rush.


	3. The Crew vs. Karen

## Tick… Tick… Tick…

The clock was ticking by the second, reminding the four employees that the pre-show rush was coming up. Everyone was slightly panicking; you can tell they were stocking up on supplies by taking them from the back to the mini-fridge and Crutchie’s station. Jack and Davey were refilling the mini-fridge with different kinds of milk and different creams, while Crutchie was making espresso shots for Katherine’s desserts. Denton was finishing up his tiramisu, before waving to the counter.

“Hello?” he shouted.

The four employees glanced at each other. All of them with a big plate on their hands. Jack and Crutchie didn’t have any experience with Denton yet, but Crutchie was doing a job that Katherine required. So it was Jack’s turn to interact with Denton.

Davey gestured his head towards Denton. Jack reluctantly handed over his stack of milk cartons and beans to Davey. He left the counter and walked over to Denton.

“The ticket still open?” Jack whispered.

Katherine nodded her head. “Grab a tablet and the readers,” she whispered back.

Jack winked back at Katherine. He grabbed a tablet and a contactless reader and plugged in a smaller, magstripe reader in the tablet. He walked over to Denton, turning on the contactless reader. When the reader was turned on, Jack set it on the table.

“I assume that you’re finished, right?” Jack asked.

“Yes, I am,” Denton replied.

“Got ‘cha. If you’re ready to pay, dip your card or tap your phone.”

Denton pulled out his card. “I’m not one for the digital wallets. You guys still accept stripe cards, right?”

“Of course. Just hand me your card.”

Denton gave Jack his credit card. He swiped it in the magstripe reader. The purchase went through with a satisfying “beep” from the tablet. He handed the card back to Denton, who promptly put away the card.

“You’re all set. Come back soon,” Jack said with a smile.

“Oh, I sure will.” Denton left the booth before going to the door.

As Denton opened the door, a mother and father came in with their two kids. The mother looked aggravated, annoyed and frustrated. The father, on the other hand, looked tired and sad. The two kids were arguing over a toy.

“Stop fighting,” the mother commanded. The two kids stopped fighting.

Davey left the counter and went to the couple. “Welcome to The Broadway Brewery. How may I help you guys?”

“Excuse me!” the woman said sharply. “You don’t call us as ‘guys’, first of all. Anyway, I’d like a table for four.”

“Sure thing. Would you like a main-stage table or a back-house booth?” Davey asked.

The mother was about to answer, but the father intervened. “We’ll have the booth.”

“Got it. Follow me.”

The family followed Davey to a booth. The booth had a Chicago playbill and poster on the wall. The mother’s face is shocked. The father is exasperated. Davey is annoyed. He knows what’s about to go down.

“Excuse me,” the mother asked. Her voice was sharp yet warm. “May we move booths?”

“Of course!” Davey answered. “Come out and choose the booth you’d like.”

The mother pushed her husband and came next to Davey. She observed each wall. The first wall she observed was decorated to Dear Evan Hansen. After eyeing the wall up and down, she moved on to the next wall. The next wall was Spongebob Squarepants.

“Hmm, family-friendly, up with the times, I respect,” she muttered. She turned over to Davey. “I’ll take this booth.”

“No problem. What’s your name, by the way?” Davey asked. “We like to make our conversations with guests more personal by going on a first-name basis.”

“I like that attitude,” the mother pointed out. “The name’s Karen. Karen Williams.”

“Okay then, Karen. What would you like today?”

“What are some of your kid-friendly items?” she asked.

“Well, we do have an amazing Italian-style hot chocolate inspired by Frozen, a pineapple spongecake that mimics Spongebob’s signature pineapple house, and a ‘Stage Tiramisu’ that is a decorated to look like the Lyceum Theater’s stage,” Davey listed. “The hot chocolate can come with latte art of Elsa’s ice palace, the spongecake is shareable, and the tiramisu uses edible gold for the stage. Overall, I’d think you enjoy it.”

“I’ll take two Frozen hot chocolates with the ice palace design and one Spongebob cake.”

Davey tapped in Karen’s order. “Anything else?”

“One iced Americano and one mocha Frappucino.”

“Perfect. It’ll come shortly.”

Davey left Karen and her family to retreat to Crutchie. As the ticket printed by Crutchie, he started working on the hot chocolates. He picked out his ingredients from the mini-fridge, laying them out on the counter next to him. The ticket was fully printed before Davey reached his station. Davey pulled out the ticket and ripped the spongecake ticket for Katherine.

“We need 2 hot chocolates with the art, one spongecake, one Americano, and one mocha Frappe. Copy?” Davey asked.

“Copy,” the two responded. Katherine pulled a cake out of the fridge and started decorating it. Crutchie was busy making the two hot chocolates, focusing on the art. This left Davey and Jack to do nothing.

Davey noticed Jack attempting to work the app. A perfect opportunity for him to make Jack work.

“Hey, Jackie. Why don’t you help Crutchie with the drinks?” Davey suggested.

Jack looked up. “Yeah, sure.”

Jack handed the tablet to Davey. He went over to Crutchie’s station, asking him if there was anything he needed to do.

“That’s perfect,” Davey muttered.

As all four of them found something to do, a loud “ahem” could be heard. The four employees all looked at each other. Then, Jack, Katherine, and Crutchie looked to Davey for an answer. Davey gestured his head to Katherine before gesturing to Karen’s family.

Katherine reluctantly agreed to wait on Karen’s table. “But you’re finishing the cake,” she threatened.

“You know I can finish that cake, Plumber,” Davey said with a smirk. His signature smirk was enough to anger Katherine.

“Jesus Christ you look like a nerdy ass with that smirk!” Katherine whisper-shouted. “You’re lucky Jack’s my boyfriend and your best friend.”

Katherine left her cake decorating stand for the table. She grabbed a tablet in case the family wanted to order something else. As she approached the table, Karen stood up and made her way to Katherine. Kath had dealt with situations like this before, but never in a way like this before. Karen was all up in her face, but she had to look up because Karen was shorter than her by 3 inches.

“Excuse me!” Karen asked in an agitated tone. “When is our food coming?”

“I’ll get back to you on that,” Katherine said with a great smile. She turned her back on Davey. He was almost finished decorating the cake, almost completely better than Katherine’s decorating.

The cake was roughly 6 inches tall. That didn’t seem like much alone. But when it’s next to a kid, it works wonders. When a kid sees the cake for the first time, their eyes spark like a bomb. They are so shocked by the sheer size that many parents created the unofficial hashtag “tbbspongebobsurprise”. The crew was hoping that Karen’s kids would have the same reactions.

Davey struggled to carry the cake. He looked strong, but Davey could barely lift a case of water and not give out of tiredness. He lifted the cake and carried it halfway before giving it to Katherine. She took the cake with ease and carefully placed it on the table.

“Oh, no! I forgot something!” Katherine shouted. Her voice was dramatic, pretending to be a Disney princess. She took out two stickers and gave one to each child. “Enjoy these stickers. They’re on the house.”

The stickers were cartoonish designs of the Palace Theater, the original theater of the Spongebob musical. Where the banner would be, it says "The Spongebob Musical: Now on Broadway". Both of Karen’s kids were ecstatic. They loved the stickers. Katherine turned to Karen

“I could give you other theaters and shows if you like,” Katherine said. “We always have them for request.”

Karen was silent. As one of the critics for the food hunt, she always was able to snap restaurants pretending to be an entitled parent. Many of the restaurants she tested often got bad reviews from her because she would test the staff on dealing with people who seemed entitled.

“Well, I’ll be damned. You’re doing amazing,” Karen said. “Y'know, let me tell you something in secret. I’m actually Amanda Kludt of Eater NY.”

Katherine was shocked, but not surprised. “Wow. I can’t believe you trust me. To be honest, I already knew. I’m a huge fan of your pieces.”

“Aw, thank you!” Amanda whisper-shouted. “But I figured knowing you would always talk about me on your blog. Good stuff you got there, Plumber.”

Katherine was blushing at this point. Amanda Kludt was one of her many journalism idols. She would read their pieces and analyze them so she could mimic their style. It often interfered with working at the shop because she would be reading articles instead of decorating.

Jack noticed this as he was working on the hot chocolate. He pointed this out to Crutchie, busy on the other drinks.

“Ay, Crutchie. Kath’s blushing,” Jack pointed out.

Crutchie stopped doing the drinks. He looked up from his workstation. “Holy shit you’re right. Why could she?”

“That’s definitely Amanda Kludt,” Davey interjected.

“Who’s she?” Jack asked.

“Amanda’s a writer for Eater NY, one of the smaller food publications in the city,” Davey explained. “She’s one of Katherine’s inspirations for journalism and reads her stuff all the time.”

Crutchie snorted. “How come we never knew who she was?”

“Probably because Pulitzer’s making her stay home all the time,” Jack cracked.

The three boys snickered at Jack’s statement. Katherine looked up behind Amanda and made a threatening face. Davey was the first to stop, then Crutchie, and finally Jack who was taken aback by Katherine’s face.

Amanda looked behind herself. “What’s going on back there?” she asked.

“Uh, nothing,” Katherine said. “Anyway, I could show you some stickers that I think your family would enjoy.”

“That would be nice.”


	4. Pre-Show Rush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my God, this is possibly the longest I've gone without updating an active fic. I literally just got the reminder TODAY from a comment. But I hope you guys enjoy this chapter today. Be on the lookout for a surprise guest.

"Enjoy the rest of your day, everyone!" Davey greeted as the customers left the shop.

Davey looked over to the clock. _Shit. It's almost the rush_. His face of horror showed everything. It was about to be their busiest hour for the day. Ever since the beginning of the day, there was no one inside the café except for Bryan and Amanda. Now the four were about to have almost all of Times Square on their seats.

"Emergency group meeting!" Davey called.

Jack was washing the dishes in the back room. He stopped washing dishes and stepped out of the back room. Crutchie was already in the middle of setting up for the rush but stopped midway to meet with Davey. Kath was setting up the display for the rush, restocking on the food items.

Everyone made their way to the table Davey was sitting.

"Davey, what's wrong?" Jack asked. "You're never this scared before."

It took a while for Davey to get what he wanted to say. He knew that this was going to be one of the first times there would be an exponential spike instead of the typical linear rise and fall that the café had during their typical days. In his mind, Davey thinks they're screwed over.

"I normally don't curse, guys, but we're fucked," he explained. "This is the first time no one has come to the café before a show. Aside from Bryan and Amanda, no one else came, so we gotta be prepped."

"Davey, we've dealt with rush hours before. It's our best performing time," Kath explained.

Crutchie interjected. "Yeah, but that's only if we had the other guys. Are Romeo and Race gonna be here?"

"Nope. Race is in tech week for West Side Story and Romeo's in workshop for a musical about Marilyn Monroe," Davey mentioned solemnly. It was a shame for both of them weren't going to be here. He knew the two enjoyed the food hunt a lot. "But it doesn't matter now. We can manage by ourselves. Meeting over. Time to stock up."

Everyone all left their seats and made the table as they left. Crutchie got back to setting up his workstation, Katherine was setting up the dessert display, and Jack was waiting at the POS. Davey grabbed a tablet from a charging station and waited at the podium.

Their first customer came in, walking straight past Davey to the to-go station. Another person came in, going behind them in line. Soon enough, already 10 people were in line and only 3 people got their drinks.

"Shit. Time to pull it out," Davey thought. He reached into the podium. He put a sign on the podium and went to the station next to Jack. The sign read: "Table service is not available for today. Please wait in line."

"Next person in line please!" Davey shouted.

For the rest of the day, the crew had to make do with only 4 people. From dealing with people who took forever to order, people who couldn't speak English, to just overall chaos, the four friends survived the day. However, one conversation stuck out between them.

It was the peak of rush hour. Everyone was sitting in the booths and tables, talking like there was no tomorrow. The music was almost inaudible, all the food was not on display anymore, and the environment was becoming to be a little hectic. With the little sun left outside the shop, the lights became brighter and the wood accents made for a beer hall look in the café.

Jack was finally dealing with his last customer before he could help Crutchie with the drinks. Davey and Katherine left their stations as per Crutchie's cue for aid, leaving Jack to be the only one. He called for the next customer, doing the basic routine. When Jack got his name, that's when things started picking up.

"Sure thing," Jack said. "What's your name?"

"Tom, Tom Levitt," the customer said.

Jack, Davey, Katherine, and Crutchie looked up at Tom. It was THE Tom Levitt, one of the writers of "Heaven is a Place On Earth". The staff was shaken. Romeo would tell stories of him and how he would often fight with the director, Derek Wills. Simply put, Tom was a character.

"One cold brew and one...." Jack looked back at Tom.

"Caramel macchiato," Tom repeated.

"Caramel macchiato," Jack finished.

The group went ahead with the order. Katherine called out for Tom, handing him his drinks. Once he left them, they all squealed. The closest things they had to Broadway stars here were their assistants or ensemble members, but they finally had an actual Broadway writer!

"Oh my god, Scott is gonna freak!" Crutchie exclaimed.

"Don't push it yet," Davey said. "We can't say anything about it for a week. Remember the policy."

"Davey, if there's something I learned working here it's that we've never used the celebrity policy," Katherine said.

"What policy?" Jack asked.

"See!"

"Alright fine, we've never used it," Davey admitted. "But we need to still follow it."

Everyone groaned. They all wanted to talk about it in class the next day, even Davey wanted to mention it in passing during his CAD class. But even then he had to follow the rule. It would set a bad example for them. Regardless, the shop was slowing down. People were leaving the shop, throwing away their trash. Some people were coming in, but only to find stuff they forgot. It was a calming sight to see.

"Huh, I guess today wasn't so bad after all," Davey noted.

"Yeah, but we gotta go clean up shop," Katherine said, nudging Davey.

"Enjoy the rest of your day, everyone!" Davey greeted as the customers left the shop.

Davey looked over to the clock. Shit. It's almost the rush. His face of horror showed everything. It was about to be their busiest hour for the day. Ever since the beginning of the day, there was no one inside the café except for Bryan and Amanda. Now the four were about to have almost all of Times Square on their seats.

"Emergency group meeting!" Davey called.

Jack was washing the dishes in the back room. He stopped washing dishes and stepped out of the back room. Crutchie was already set up for the rush but stopped midway to meet with Davey. Kath was setting up the display for the rush, restocking on the food items.

Everyone made their way to the table Davey was sitting.

"Davey, what's wrong?" Jack asked. "You're never this scared before."

It took a while for Davey to get what he wanted to say. He knew that this was going to be one of the first times there would be an exponential spike instead of the typical linear rise and fall that the café had during their typical days. In his mind, Davey thinks they're screwed over.

"I normally don't curse, guys, but we're fucked," he explained. "This is the first time no one has come to the café before a show. Aside from Bryan and Karen, no one else came, so we gotta be prepped."

"Davey, we've dealt with rush hours before. It's our best performing time," Kath explained.

Crutchie interjected. "Yeah, but that's only if we had the other guys. Are Romeo and Race gonna be here?"

"Nope. Race is in tech week for West Side Story and Romeo's in a workshop for a musical about Marilyn Monroe," Davey mentioned solemnly. It was a shame for both of them weren't going to be here. He knew the two enjoyed the food hunt a lot. "But it doesn't matter now. We can manage by ourselves. Meeting over. Time to stock up."

Everyone all left their seats and made the table as they left. Crutchie got back to setting up his workstation, Katherine was setting up the dessert display, and Jack was waiting at the POS. Davey grabbed a tablet from a charging station and waited at the podium.

Their first customer came in, walking straight past Davey to the to-go station. Another person came in, going behind them in line. Soon enough, already 10 people were in line and only 3 people got their drinks.

"Shit. Time to pull it out," Davey thought. He reached into the podium. He put a sign on the podium and went to the station next to Jack. The sign read: "Table service is not available for today. Please wait in line."

"Next person in line please!" Davey shouted.

For the rest of the day, the crew had to make do with only 4 people. From dealing with people who took forever to order, people who couldn't speak English, to just overall chaos, the four friends survived the day. However, one conversation stuck out between them.

It was the peak of rush hour. Everyone was sitting in the booths and tables, talking like there was no tomorrow. The music was almost inaudible, all the food was not on display anymore, and the environment was becoming to be a little hectic. With the little sun left outside the shop, the lights became brighter and the wood accents made for a beer hall look in the café.

Jack was finally dealing with his last customer before he could help Crutchie with the drinks. Davey and Katherine left their stations as per Crutchie's cue for aid, leaving Jack to be the only one. He called for the next customer, doing the basic routine. When Jack got his name, that's when things started picking up.

"Sure thing," Jack said. "What's your name?"

"Tom, Tom Levitt," the customer said.

Jack, Davey, Katherine, and Crutchie looked up at Tom. It was THE Tom Levitt, one of the writers of "Heaven is a Place On Earth". The staff was shaken. Romeo would tell stories of him and how he would often fight with the director, Derek Wills. Simply put, Tom was a character.

"One nitro brew and one...." Jack looked back at Tom.

"Caramel macchiato," Tom repeated.

"Caramel macchiato," Jack finished.

The group went ahead with the order. Katherine called out for Tom, handing him his drinks. Once he left them, they all squealed. The closest things they had to Broadway stars here were their assistants or ensemble members, but they finally had an actual Broadway writer!

"Oh my god, Scott is gonna freak!" Crutchie exclaimed.

"Don't push it yet," Davey said. "We can't say anything about it for a week. Remember the policy."

"Davey, if there's something I learned working here it's that we've never used the celebrity policy," Katherine said.

"What policy?" Jack asked.

"See!"

"Alright fine, we've never used it," Davey admitted. "But we need to still follow it."

Everyone groaned. They all wanted to talk about it in class the next day, even Davey wanted to mention it in passing during his CAD class. But even then he had to follow the rule. It would set a bad example for them. Regardless, the shop was slowing down. People were leaving, throwing away their trash. Some people were coming in, but only to find stuff they forgot. It was a calming sight to see.

"Huh, I guess today wasn't so bad after all," Davey noted.

"Yeah, but we gotta go clean up shop," Katherine said, nudging Davey.


End file.
